A number of Sopwith Pups have been recreated, with a handful of super-accurate examples complete with authentic rotary engines that cannot be distinguished from a 1915 original. At the other end of the spectrum, there are 'interpretations' which provide a sense of what the Pup was about, but featuring significant departures such as riveted aluminium structures, modern horizontally opposed engines and so forth. And then there have been a few which are very close to authentically presented, but some some departures from the original configuration, usually as a result of the long-held difficulty in sourcing a rotary engine (this issue has happily been addressed to a limited degree in recent times). 'Rosie' is an excellent example of this philosophy.
With reference to original Sopwith drawings, the intent was to produce a factory-spec 1915 aeroplane, but with the understanding that it was to be a reasonably practical machine for regular sport flying. With this in mind it is fitted not with a Le Rhone rotary but with a Rotec radial engine providing 150 'modern' horse power to provide comparable performance to the original aircraft with its 80 'period' horse power. The change of engine type means that there are several deviations from standard, such as engine instruments specific to the Rotec, and these have been purposely mounted on a separate panel. Should the next owner wish to source a WW-I rotary and install it, the aircraft could be presented as 'stock' with the correct installation.
'Rosie' was completed and test flown in February 2018. After several years of enjoyable flying, it is now offered for sale, still in 'as-new' condition.
Characteristics
Performance (N.B. performance figures based on 80 hp Le Rhone)